Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
Historical forms are not available yet. The current form is shown as a reference.
The character 晴 (qíng) evolved from ancient Chinese pictographs representing clear skies. The character combines the sun radical 日 (sun) with 青 (blue/green), originally depicting the bright blue sky that appears after rain. In Liushutong, this character represents the concept of clear weather and by extension, clarity and brightness. Over centuries, the character maintained its core meaning while the graphical representation became more standardized in its modern form. Arrived in Japan: The character 晴 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system (kanji) through Korean scribes and Buddhist texts. It became integrated into Japanese as a common kanji read as 'hare' (clear weather) or 'sei' in compounds, used in both weather contexts and metaphorical meanings of clarity.